Petraeus a N.H. candidate someday? Cullen calls it 'idle speculation'

New Hampshire Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen dampened any speculation that the state party would attempt to recruit General David Petraeus to run for political office in 2010 or 2012.

"I don't believe he's retiring from the military, nor can we know where he intends to settle when he does eventually retire, so such a question is really idle speculation," Cullen told PolitickerNH.com in an e-mail.

This morning The Union Leader reported that Petraeus owns a small boat house in Springfield and is a registered voter in the town.

"I think many of took some pride in learning this morning of Petraeus's New Hampshire ties," Cullen added. "Many of us admire General Petraeus's accomplishments as a leader, and I'm sure he will continue to serve our nation in one capacity or another when he does eventually retire from the military."

New Hampshire does have a history of recruiting military leaders to run for office.

In 1952, then Gov. Sherman Adams helped recruit Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to run for president. Adams served six years as Eisenhower's chief-of-staff before resigning over his connection to an overcoat he had received from a Boston businessman under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Adams went on to form the Loon Mountain Corporation in Lincoln.